Importance of adding PROTEIN to your weightloss/fitness program

Protein Fact:

Your body uses protein to build, repair and maintain almost all of the tissue in your body. This includes muscle. Other than water, protein is the most plentiful substance in muscle tissue. Almost 75% of your muscle is made of water and 20% of your muscle is protein. The remaining 5% of your muscle is carbs, fats, vitamins, and minerals. Getting enough protein plays a tremendous role in maintaining and building muscle.

What is Protein and WHY is it important?

Proteins are compounds composed of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen. These elements combine to form strings of amino acids. Protein falls into the class of nutrients called "macronutrients." Other macronutrients are carbohydrates and fat.
Protein is the building block of muscle and provides the support your body needs to gain muscle and lose fat. It is the right source to get all the possible benefits from your muscle building/fitness and weight loss regimens are as possible.
Due to its role in the building, repair, and maintenance of muscle, protein is an invaluable source in any fitness plan.

Protein Helps Build Muscle:
Eating protein helps your body build and maintain muscle. When you exercise or workout with weights, the muscle is actually being broken down.

During the work out, the muscle fibers actually tear under the stress of working out. These small tears to the muscle causes a reaction in your body telling it to repair and reinforce these damaged fibers. It is during the repair phase that muscle building takes place. Your body uses protein to build, repair and maintain the muscle tissue in your body. So, in order to increase the benefits of your workout routine, you need added protein to repair your muscles.

Protein Helps Burn Fat:

Protein supplementation also helps the body burn more fat. While cardio workouts, running, walking, etc. help you burn extra calories and burn fat WHILE you are exercising. It is a common misconception that cardio workouts increase your metabolism. You can however, change your metabolism, and burn fat throughout the day and even while sleeping, by building and toning muscle. Protein supplementation plays an essential role in increasing lean muscle.

Protein actually elevates your metabolism.

Protein is harder for your body to digest than fat or carbohydrates. It requires more energy for your body to digest protein. Therefore, you burn more calories with protein.
Protein also helps to suppress our appetite. By consuming less calories, of course would in turn contribute to successful weight loss. Then, because of protein's ability to help us maintain muscle, the body will burn fat more efficiently.

>>Interesting fact: If two people eat exactly the same amount of calories per day, the one with a higher protein intake will have a higher metabolism.<<

Protein Supplements I've Tried & Recommend:

1- IDS New Whey Protein Shots - Comes in 8 flavors, pre-mixed, great tasting. Most convenient but also least economical. 12 tubes in the $20-$28 range. Choice of 25 gram or 42 gram

2- Body Fortress Whey Protein - This is what I use religiously. It's powder form though and comes in about 4 flavors. Not nasty-tasting like many others I have tried. Mixes well with a shaker cup. Supplies a whopping 52 grams of protein per 2 scoops complete wih glutamine, taurine and BCAAS. Definitely more bang for the buck. I buy it at Walmart for about $14 for a 2lb jug.

3- SIX STAR Hardcore Strength Whey Protein - Same basics as #2, tastes good but slightly more expensive. Around $22 for 2lb jug.